According to recent market research report announced at the Craft Brewers Conference seminar, “Against the (Traditional) Grain: Gluten-Free Beer,” data shows the gluten-free beer market will grow 14% by 2022. At this seminar, Twila Henley Soles, owner of Grouse Malt House, spoke about the importance of gluten-free malt in this sector of the industry. Grouse Malt House, is USDA Organic and certified gluten-free located in Wellington, Colorado. Founded in 2013, Grouse provides over 20 gluten-free products ranging in millet, buckwheat, quinoa, rolled oats, and maize for breweries across the country. The thought of starting a malt house began in 2009 when Soles attended graduate school in Colorado and took an elective class on brewing science and technology. In her class, there was a woman who had Celiac disease who was unable to participate in any beer tastings conducted throughout the semester. “I was struck by her dedication and her desire to live a life of vitality and to pass on a beer classmates could partake in. That evening, I bought gluten-free beer and was outraged that these were her options. It was hardly drinkable, so I decided to make it my mission to make her great tasting beer.” Soles started her journey by researching gluten-free malt, which she says were hard to come by at that time. She reached out to several farmers and eventually met Jean Hediger, owner of Golden Prairie Inc., an organic farm in Nunn, Colorado that grows millet. After visiting Hediger’s farm, Soles began malting in her kitchen, finished up graduate school, and took time to visit other craft malters. She continued her studies at Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre, Winnipeg. “I was on brewing forums and connecting with others across the country wanting to make great tasting gluten-free beers. I was sharing what I was creating on the malt side and started sending samples, Ryan Bove (Aurochs Brewing Co.) and Jason Yerger (Ghostfish Brewing Co.).” It wasn’t until Soles met her business partner and late husband William Soles, when Grouse Malt House came together. “On our second date, I told him [Will] about my dream about starting a gluten-free malt house. He was energized and we connected over that passion, and it became our dream. Our next date was meeting up in Denver to look at dairy engineering to look at mix tanks. We...

WA Meadwerks, which opened September 2018, is the newest and only meadery on Long Island. Founded by Joseph Abruzzo and Roger Wanner, the taproom is located 26 West Hoffman in Lindenhurst. Mead (wine made from honey) can be made with fruits, spices, and anything in between. The styles range from dry to sweet, typically gluten-free, with an ABV from 4.5% to 16%. WA Meadwerks encompasses these styles through the 16 meads available on tap including ResQmead (Raspberry & Strawberry), MitterNacht (off-dry Honey & Black currant aged with French Oak), and Black n Blue Pit O’misery (Blackberry & Blueberry with lactose). Abruzzo was a mead enthusiast and homebrewer for almost two years before he decided to open up a business with his partner Wanner. The name of the meadery holds a symbolic meaning to the owners. The “W” and “A” is an abbreviation of Wanner and Abruzzo, while the logo represents a Viking meaning: “Where there’s a Will, there’s a way.” “Every time we came across a problem, we had to fix it or make things easier,” Abruzzo said. “When we were homebrewers, we ran into an issue with temperature control and built a glycol chiller from an air conditioning unit.” Abruzzo says running his nano meadery has had some challenges. “Being creative is hard. We have so many off-the-wall ideas, like making a Sour Mead, that sometimes finding balance is tough,” Abruzzo said. “And recently the government shut down has been difficult with us getting our recipe submissions approved.” Despite common hurdles new businesses endure, WA Meadwerks is already planning for the future. The owners are currently making a chocolate mead, a currant mead, and a creamsicle mead. WA Meadwerks is open Thursday through Sunday and self-distributes to select locations locally, with hopes to be available in more locations by this...

According to recent market research report announced at the Craft Brewers Conference seminar, “Against the (Traditional) Grain: Gluten-Free Beer,” data shows the gluten-free beer market will grow 14% by 2022. At this seminar, Twila Henley Soles, owner of Grouse Malt House, spoke about the importance of gluten-free malt in this sector of the industry. Grouse Malt House, is USDA Organic and certified gluten-free located in Wellington,...

WA Meadwerks, which opened September 2018, is the newest and only meadery on Long Island. Founded by Joseph Abruzzo and Roger Wanner, the taproom is located 26 West Hoffman in Lindenhurst. Mead (wine made from honey) can be made with fruits, spices, and anything in between. The styles range from dry to sweet, typically gluten-free, with an ABV from 4.5% to 16%. WA Meadwerks encompasses these styles through the 16 meads available on...

Ghostfish Brewing Company announced a new distribution partnership with Crooked Stave Artisans Distributing. This relationship will facilitate Ghostfish beer to be available within nearly all areas within the state of Colorado. Crooked Stave Artisans Distributing (CSA) will start off distributing draught and package versions of Ghostfish Brewing’s award-winning dedicated gluten-free beers including Grapefruit IPA, Meteor Shower Blonde...

In just a few days, I will be on my way to the 36th Great American Beer Festival [GABF] in Denver, Colorado. This will be my second brewventure to GABF! Last year, I planned on visiting gluten-free and gluten-reduced breweries outside of GABF. However, the festival itself was so incredibly overwhelming (even for a New Yorker like myself) that I was only about to taste what was available during festival sessions. With over 3,000 beers...

May marks Celiac Disease Awareness Month across the U.S., aiding support for celiacs and research for this disease. Celiac disease is a serious genetic autoimmune disorder where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, an estimate of 1 in 100 people worldwide are affected by celiac disease. Two and one-half million Americans are undiagnosed and are at risk for...

As someone with a gluten-allergy, many people ask me what I drink at beer festivals. Although I am no able to taste everything, there are a great number of beers and ciders I can try if I know what to look for. Not all festivals have many options, but Blue Point Cask Ale Festival is one the best ones for Celiacs to attend. This year’s festival took place on Saturday, April 22 at Blue Point Brewery and it was expected to be the...

Once again, I’m pouring at Hops & Props on Feb. 11 at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City. Last year Jason Scott and I brewed a 6% gluten-free beer, so this year, I brewed a cider instead. I had originally planned to bring my Cosmo-inspired cider, but it isn’t ready so look out for it at the next festival! If you missed my Instagram post, check out the ingredients I added to it. Bringing “Sex in...

This week, I head out to Denver for the sold-out 35th Great American Beer Festival [GABF], a brewventure that I have been looking forward to for the last 8 years. GABF will have 3,800 beers from more than 800 breweries packed from Oct 6-8. Tasting gluten-free/gluten-reduced beers all in one spot is a Celiac’s dream, but as glorious as this seems, there are still only a handful of places out of the 20 breweries in Colorado that I...

There are only a few more weeks until the unofficial end of summer beer festival season and the start of Oktoberfest season. I put together a list of my “go-to” six-pack of gluten-free friendly beer and cider that you can take to BBQs and beach parties. This great tasting six also satisfies the taste buds of those who are not gluten-free, but want to try something new and delicious! 1. Dogfish Head Tweason’Ale Gluten...